ASABA—Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure that no Nigerian is disenfranchised in the forthcoming elections. Uduaghan, when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Vice Chairman, South-South zone, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh and the zonal executive members visited him in Asaba, yesterday, said there were lots of Nigerians with valid temporary voters’ cards, TVCs, who have not been able to collect their permanent voters’ cards, PVCs.

THE Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO, yesterday, advised the All Progressives Congress, APC, to stop what it described as its scaremongering and prepare for defeat at the March 28 presidential election.

The ruling party is putting the Election Management Body on the defensivec through one of its offshoot groups. The PDP Integrity Vanguard is one of the numerous offshoots of the Peoples Democratic Party

ENUGU—The Chairman of Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board, ENSUBEB, Miss Nneka Onuora, yesterday, told the state House of Assembly, how the board awarded N600 million contract for the rehabilitation of 500 primary schools, and paid the full contract sum without supervising the job. The House was also told how water supply in the state was leased out to an unknown company for 25 years by Enugu State Water Corporation.

A new $9 billion oil refinery producing 500,000 barrels per day being developed by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is expected to come on stream in Nigeria by 2017, a senior Dangote Group official said yesterday. The refinery, to be located in Lagos, will cut Nigeria reliance on international markets for refined petroleum products, which constitute imports of more than 80 percent of the nation’s fuel needs. The lack of sufficient refining capacity is a major handicap in Nigeria.

Gusau — The Senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for Zamfara West Senatorial Zone, and Maradun Local Government Area, Alhaji Bello Maradun has pledged to ensure positive change through effective representation of the people if elected. Bello spoke in an interview with Vanguard in Maradun town, the headquarters of Maradun Local Government Area.

LAGOS—Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has raised an alarm over the dwindling resources of the state, which he said would affect the implementation of its 2015 Appropriation Bill. He explained that, the global fall in the price of crude oil, effect of the postponement of the general elections in the country, increase in exchange rate and others are serious impediments to the targeted income of the state government.

LAGOS—One of the sureties who stood for the bail granted to former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode in the money laundering case against him before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, has applied to withdraw his suretyship. Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged money laundering offences.

WARRI — THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Campaign Committee in Warri South Local Government Area has inaugurated its canvassers drawn from the 12 wards that made up the local government, for the March 28 and April 11 elections. The coordinator of the committee, Ada Arenyeka, in his inaugural speech, urged the canvassers to see their nomination as a call to service and stressed the need for the assignment to be diligently carried out.

Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State has appealed to the state chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, to call off its ongoing strike to ensure normalcy in the Judiciary in the state. Speaking during the swearing- in ceremony of Justice Nasiru Umar Sadiq as judge of the state High Court, Yero said the demands of JUSUN can not be resolved through the ongoing strike, hence the need for immediate suspension of the action.